Following an 86-day open ballot period, the National Institute of Building Sciences buildingSMART Alliance has closed the submission period to develop Version 2 of the National BIM Standard-United States.
The first version of the National BIM Standard (NBIMS Version 1) was passed in 2007, but it has failed to move out of academia and into the AEC community significantly mainly because of its reliance on the IFC (Industry Foundation Class) file format for 3D modeling.
The ballots for this submission period were separated into categories relating to: reference standards; information exchanges, including model view definitions (MVDs) and information delivery manuals (IDMs); best practices; and overview and guidelines, including updates to the NBIMS Version 1, Part 1. Of the ballot submissions, 36 were complete entries and nine were “blue sky submissions,” or ideas that will need more input before becoming a ballot or going for a vote to be included in the standard.
Several of the ballot submissions, if approved by the voting membership, will significantly expand the current standard. One ballot would add the BIM Project Execution Planning Guide, Version 2.1, updated in May 2011 by its developers at Penn State University in State College, Pa., to the NBIMS. The Penn State guide has been used by numerous organizations across the industry to coordinate BIM implementation. The comment period for the new ballot items will begin Aug. 3 and end Sept. 1.
If you’d like to join the NBIMS project committee, you can download an application form at the buildingSMART Alliance’s website.
